


Meeting

by SolosOrca



Series: Space AU [1]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M, Space AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 00:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10819578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolosOrca/pseuds/SolosOrca
Summary: How Tezuka Kunimitsu met Echizen Ryoma.





	Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> More of Bookwrymling's space au, this time all tezuryo!!

Tezuka had read through the profile of his new recruit with interest. He was young, but he had a list of achievements as long as his arm and he’d trained in the US and the US agencies started them young. 

He’d expected someone overly friendly and tall. What he’d got was Echizen Ryoma.

“So you’re in charge. huh?” was the first thing Echizen ever said to him, looking him up and down doubtfully.

“I am,” Tezuka snapped at him and walked off.  It didn’t matter how many achievements and accolades this boy had, if he was going  to be insubordinate then Tezuka would punish him. And did so by putting him in the rear of the squadron as a reserve until he learnt some manners.

Unfortunately, Echizen took this as a challenge.

“Echizen! Get back in formation!” Tezuka shouted over the radio as Echizen pulled away during a dog fight to get his own glory, leaving his until vulnerable.

Echizen didn’t reply, didn’t follow Tezuka’s orders and, in Tezuka’s opinion, was very lucky not to get shot.

“You!” Tezuka growled, pointing at Echizen. “With me. Now!”

Echizen trailed after him to the meeting room, attracting more than a few stares.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Tezuka was too angry to shout and scream. Hi voice was calm and edged with ice. Even Echizen looked taken aback.

“There was an opening,” Echizen replied, quickly re-centring himself. “And they were going after the Seishun.”

“You should have told your unit,” Tezuka hissed.

“I had a split second!” Echizen snapped, his hackles rising. “If I hadn’t they would have done under the Seishun and done a hell of a lot of damage!”

“And in doing so you put the rest of your unit in danger. I don’t know how it works in America, but on this ship we work together!”

They glared at each other, both breathing heavily.

“I appreciate your reasons for what you did,” Tezuka said, “but you need to consider your actions.”

Echizen’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m sorry for breaking formation,” he muttered, not looking Tezuka in the eye.

“Good. You’re on cleaning duty for a week,” Tezuka said, spinning around and leaving Echizen in his wake.

* * *

“You’re very dedicated,” Tezuka said as he walked into the training bay and found Echizen strapped into the simulator. A quick glance at the controls showed he’d been in there for over three hours.

“There’s nothing else to do,” Echizen managed to shrug whilst taking on four enemies alone.

“You could socialise,” Tezuka reminded him. He’d never seen Echizen speak to any of his squadron mates for more than a couple of seconds. Echizen just made a noncommittal noise. 

“You need to become part of the team.”

“Yeah,” echizen didn’t sound sure.

“You’re talented, but that means nothing if people don’t like you.”

Echizen paused the simulation and looked at him. “Do you like me?”

“I don’t know you.”

Echizen smirked. “that just proves your point, doesn’t it?”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“You were thinking it,” Echizen muttered and then turned a thoroughly disarming smile on Teuka. “You’ll be my friend.”

Tezuka forwned, “that’s not how it works.”

“Why not? You want me to have friends so you can be one.”

This was a bad idea and Tezuka knew it, but how was he supposed to decline?

“Fine.”

“Fantastic,” Echizen said unenthusiastically re-starting the simulation.

Tezuka watched for a couple of minutes, then left. If it helped Echizen integrate then it was worth it. But he couldn’t help feel he was making a big error, like this would end in some utterly inappropriate relationship.

* * *

His fears were somewhat confirmed when the next time he saw Echizen he was in Tezuka’s bed.

“Wake up,” Tezuka sighed, shaking the other man awake. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you,” Echizen replied, sleepily rubbing his eyes. “You took _forever_.”

“I had a meeting,” Tezuka said.

“Which took forever so I had a nap.”

Tezuka sighed again. The problem was, however irritating Echizen could be, he was infinitely likeable. Tezuka couldn’t help liking him. “Have you eaten yet?”

“No,” Echizen stretched letting out a soft groan.

“Come on, there should be some leftovers.”

* * *

One of the perks that came with being the top pilot on the ship was that people tended to go out their way to help you. Tezuka tried not to take advantage of this too much, but he was willing to make an exception now.

The kitchens had closed long ago, but it didn’t take more than a quick plea to get the staff to arrange a meal for Echizen.

“How was training in America?” Tezuka asked pleasantly as Echizen stuffed his face with re-hydrated potatoes.

“It was okay,” Echizen said. “I got yelled at a lot.”

“If you followed orders you wouldn’t be yelled at,” Tezuka reminded him.

“Yeah, that’s why I got transferred over here,” Echizen continued. “Something about letting the ISEF deal with me,” he smirked and Tezuka frowned.

“You shouldn’t celebrate that.”

“I don’t… Just, it’s nicer here. It was really high pressure in America, you know?”

“I can imagine,” Tezuka said. He’d heard a lot about the American training course. It got fantastic results, but left hundreds scattered by the wayside.

“If you’d been there it’ve been better,” Echizen laughed and Tezuka felt his cheeks heat up.

* * *

The first time they kissed was four months later and Echizen was drunk.

“What are you doing?” Tezuka asked as echizen pulled away.

“Call me Ryoma,” Echizen slurred and then passed out in Tezuka’s arms.

* * *

“I kissed you last night, right?” Echizen stumbled into the living area of Tezuka’s unit’s room the next morning.

“You did,” Tezuka replied and Echizen groaned.

“Sorry, I was drunk.”

“You’re forgiven,” Tezuka said, ignoring the twinge of regret in his stomach.

“Good,” Echizen smiled. “We should forget about it then.”

* * *

Forgetting about it lasted a week.

“I want a relationship with you!” Echizen said, bursting into Tezuka’s room one night after dinner

Tezuka’s eyes widened, “Are Tokugawa and Irie outside?” Echizen shook his head. “Then get in here.”

Echizen locked the door behind him and launched himself onto Tezuka’s bed.

“I want a relationship.”

“Echizen,” Tezuka sighed, “you know we can’t.”

“Why not?” Echizen demanded, pouting very cutely.

“It’s inappropriate,” Tezuka explained, trying to take his mind of what he wanted to do to Echizen’s pouting lips.

“Ah,” Echizen said, crawling closer so that his face was inches from Tezuka’s. “So it’s not because you don’t like me,” he purred, his voice like velvet in Tezuka’s ears.

“I do. That’s why we can’t.”

“That’s stupid,” Echizen snapped.

“I’m your superior officer,” Tezuka snapped back, growing annoyed. How could Echizen not see it? How utterly inappropriate this relationship was!

“If we keep it quiet, could we do it?” Echizen asked after a couple of minutes deep thought.

“Echizen-”

“No, listen! We can get away with being close.”

“Like brothers!” Tezuka interjected.

“Yeah, well, we can act like that in public and then in private…” he trailed off.

“In private?” Tezuka prompted.

Echizen smirked and leaned in to kiss him.

It was much better than their first kiss. Echizen’s lips moved purposefully against his own and there wasn’t the hint of alcohol to be found. Tezuka leaned into the kiss and then was pushed back onto the bed, Echizen crawling on top of him, deepening the kiss. He grabbed at Echizen’s shoulders, pulling him down on top of him. He was warm and solid and his tongue was doing magical things to the roof of Tezuka’s mouth, sending lihtnigh down his spine.

“Only in private,” Tezuka gasped as Ryoma let him go. He just knew this was going to blow up in their faces, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when Echizen caught his lower lip between his teeth and sucked.

“I really like you,” he breathed, pulling Echizen into another kiss. 


End file.
